Bright Red and Charcoal Black
by RedHighlights
Summary: Rude stumbles over someone in a pile of trash. Reno opts to take her home. RenoxOC, rated T for the usual. R&R please!
1. Discovered

**Authors notes: I started this story about a week ago, but wasn't sure if I should post it or not. Should I continue it? R&R please! :3 **

_Bright Red and Charcoal Black_

_Sweat dripped into his eyes; causing him to shake his head. _

"_Ugh.. It's so hot out here," the man with the red hair and goggles said. "Whatever happened to this being an enjoyable trip?" _

"_That idea went out the window a while ago," from what it looked like, his partner, said. _

"_It wasn't supposed to be an idea, it was supposed to be one of the perks," the other man said. _

"_Shut up, Reno," the bald one said. Reno? It sounded strangely familiar.. ._

"_No," he said, glaring. _

_The other man just gave him an exasperated look. "For the love of Shinra, will you please sh- Hell!" He muttered, tripping over something in the piles of trash. Reno smirked and glanced down at what had tripped the bald giant. _

"_Holy crap!" He yelled, stumbling back, startled. A girl was sprawled out, her chest rising and falling faintly. "Is she alive?" He asked, regaining his composure. He eyed her with gaining curiosity._

"_How am I supposed to know?" The other man asked. The girl tried to say yes, but nothing came out. Instead she faded into unconsciousness again, for the second time today, or this week, she had lost track of time, and was really, really hungry._

~:3 days later:~

"Crap," I croaked. I was pretty sure that would be the only speaking I would do in the next couple hours. My lips were parched, my throat was sore, and wherever I was smelled strongly of alcohol and hair gel.

"Morning," a voice said casually. I slowly opened one eyelid, thanking god I had. A man, he looked around 25 years old, with bright red hair loosely tied back in a long ponytail going down his back rose an eyebrow at me. I did what any girl would have done presented with this situation. I blinked. He grinned at me, as if understanding my dilemma.

"I'm Reno… my partner, Rude-" Rude, so that's what his name was. I wondered how I had gotten here. I could have sworn a moment ago I was in my room, searching my closet for that crappy black jacket I always wore. And where was I now? In some guys attic laying on a sofa with an empty case of beer next to me? I didn't drink, so he must be an alcoholic.. And judging by the red tats, he must be a player or something… I wondered when he would shut up so I could see what I was wearing.. God knows what he did while I was out. Was I out?

"Anyways, and that's how you got here. What's your name?" He asked, apparently not noticing my lack of interest, or not caring enough to question me. I just blinked again. Typical of me. When in the presence of a guy I just had to freeze up. Was it some curse or something? Karma? What the hell could I have done to deserve this in any past life? Maybe I-

My thinking was rudely interrupted. Speaking of Rude, where'd he go?

"Hello?" Reno asked again, getting a bit irritated. I shook my head to possibly clear my mind. He took that as a 'no-I'm-not-going-to-tell-you-my-name'. "Alrighty.." He muttered, getting up and heading out the door. "I'll be downstairs when you decide to join the rest of humanity, if you need anything just call," He said, looking back. I cursed under my breath. "Lily," I said, hoping he would just keep going. Out of luck, again. "Lily," he said, rolling it on his tongue. "It's pretty," he said simply, and waltzed out, closing the door behind with a smugness that I doubted I could mimic. I rolled over and muttered something incoherent.


	2. Lost yet again

**Authors notes: Second chapter up! This one was a bit weird while I was typing it, but I hope y'all like it! R&R please :o**

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The first thing I noticed, was the pounding headache, and dull ache where my ribs were supposed to be. Whether they were or not, I couldn't tell at the moment. I groaned; getting up. I looked in one of the broken bottle shards at my reflection. Ew, was the only word that summed up what I looked like. I'm not one of those preps, that try to cover up being sluts with all of the make-up, and that my only life is the one in the mirror, but I don't particularly like looking like I just spent the night with my ex having hot-hate-sex.

I slid off a hair band from my wrist, and tied it around my hair. Jet black, like charcoal, but not quite. More so with a blue-ish tint. I half-smiled, knowing today would be a really bad hair day for me. Come to think of it, the past week or so, (or month, I wasn't sure at the time), everyday's been a really bad hair day for me. I glanced down… and felt like killing someone. More specifically the someone with red hair and tattoos that smelled of alcohol. My red pj pants had been replaced by.. Nothing, actually, and my black tank had been replaced by a quite translucent white shirt like the one he had been wearing. No bra. I let out another groan. How many groans had I released today? 3? Something told me more were to come. I looked around, and finding nothing to use as pants, reluctantly marched downstairs demanding an answer as to my lack of clothes. I was greeted by the bald guy, (It kinda felt like I'd be calling him Rude if I called him by his name, so I went with 'bald guy'), and Reno.

"What's this?" I asked, gritting my teeth, and motioning to my bare legs.

"It looks like a pair of nice legs," Reno answered smartly. I had an urge to kick him with my 'nice legs'. I let out a sigh and turned to Rude for help. I pleaded with my eyes for an explanation. He gave the slightest of shrugs, telling me I was on my own.

Crap.

"Where did you put my clothes, Reno?" I asked as politely as I could, knowing that regardless of what he saw, he still rescued me from my fate of laying in the trash forever.

He motioned to the trash. I gave him one of those 'oh-no-you-didn't-bitch' looks. He smiled sweetly.

"Not my fault.. They were all torn up! You look better in the white shirt anyway," he said, eyeing me. I mentally face palmed.

"Go to the 8th circle of hell, if you don't mind," I muttered, hoping he hadn't heard me, but at the same time longing to see the anger on his face, and the knowledge I pissed him off. Not that a comment like that would have given me that pleasure.

I drudged back up the stairs, and stuck my head into a room after I was sure they couldn't see me anymore. Pants! I stepped quietly over and stole a pair of the black ones. After hurrying back to the attic, I slipped them on, and felt better instantly. Taking a deep breath, I sat down on the torn pink sofa(Yes, this guy had a pink sofa in his attic) and tried to sort out my mind.

Where am I? I asked myself, looking around, but not really noticing anything. How the hell did I get here? I was in my closet.. Looking for a jacket.. And.. Everything went black.. I think.. And then R&R found me.. (Rest and relaxation my sore ass). .. But..

I looked out the window, carefully avoiding the glass shards. I gasped. Dark alleys. Broken glass. Blood. Graffiti. I had a feeling that if I opened the dusty window, I would smell sweat, sex, and alcohol. I had wanted to run downstairs. Really, wanted to. To yell and scream and ask what the hell I was doing in this place instead of in my room, looking for the damn black jacket, biting into a slice of toast, and wondering how late I was going to be for work. I took a deep breath; dust particles from the air floating around me, the scent of booze wafting through the rafters and swirling around me. Then with startling clarity I realized something:

_There was no way in hell I was on Earth. _

It hit me; like a time bomb, waiting to explode, waiting to reveal it's secrets, as to what it would do; the destruction it would cause. My eyes grew wide, and I sucked in a breath of air.

"What the…" I started, but before I finished I was violently shaking Reno's collar. I could have cared less what they did to me- I wanted answers, and I wanted them now.

"R-E-N-O WHERE THE HELL AM I?! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?" Mossy green eyes bore into sparkling blue ones. He stared back, partially in shock, I guessed. I had gone from an annoyed girl to a violent psychopath in a number of minutes. I might have even felt my lips go up in a snarl, at the fact he couldn't answer.

"RENO," I shouted again. This time he responded.

"What the fuck? Your in the slums. Obviously," he said. I was breathing hard. If someone had walked in on this sight, it would have looked like I was about to drag him to the bedroom and rip him apart. As my breathing slowed, I noticed carefully how close we were. Maybe an inch… maybe less away from the man with the flaming red hair, and the sparkling blue ey- I snapped back to reality, pulling back. My hands were still entwined with locks of his hair and his collar. One leg was on the floor, toes pointed upward, to get as close to him as possible, the other was bent, with my knee almost digging into his gut…

"What are the slums?" I demanded, mentally making a note of searching this on .

He looked at me, mouth open. I stopped my eyes from closing. There was no way I was attracted to this man. He was a womanizer; a drunkard.

"It's where we are…" He looked downcast for a moment. "Where all the druggies live,; bastards; jerks; soulless creeps," he said, grimacing at 'soulless creeps'. I stared into him for a moment longer; my eyes resting on his, not comprehending for that moment.

Rude looked up from his newspaper and rose an eyebrow, waiting for further explanation from me.

I slowly sat back, dividing my weight between the leg on his lap and the foot on the floor. I looked to my side, and then down, forcing myself not to meet his eyes.

"What is this place…" I murmured once more, still not meeting his blue gaze.

"Midgar," he said simply. There was a note of finality to his tone.


	3. Turk

**Authors notes: I wrote this one with the last chapter, meaning for them to go together, but something went wrong while uploading and I didn't bother putting them together again. 'Red's story sat on the wall… red's story had a great fall… all the technical tools and all the doc. managers couldn't put Red's story back together again.' -end rant- **

**R&R please! :3**

*****Tis in bold for an unknown reason, pardon the antics of the technical tools and doc. managers*****

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I had sat there, partially in his lap, and partially on the floor, asking him pointless, miniscule questions that wouldn't matter in the long run. What's your favorite color, what's your last name, where do you work? He had answered, most of them.

_Where do you work?_

"I'm a Turk," he had replied, expecting me to jump off, find a knife and kill him, or to scream, and run away in fear. I saw the grimace. I saw the angst in his eyes. I saw him regret. I wondered if he had seen my curiosity. He didn't explain further, though. If he had, he didn't want to answer. In a place like this…

I'm not sure I can blame him.

I had slowly slid off of him; barely comprehending; wondering why, or how for that matter, this had happened. Rude had watched me through his glasses; if he was watching me. There was no reading his expression. Going up the stairs I had stumbled, barely hearing the movement of a chair scrape. I looked at the clock in the attic. It was almost 11 pm. How long had I sat there? I didn't care. Consciousness started to slip away even before I reached the old sofa. There were no dreams, though. Just a black abyss of endless questions, and scents of sex and alcohol swirling around.


	4. Exploration

A/N: Firstly, I don't want to go back and upload everything, so pretend this disclaimer was x4.

Disclaimer: I don't own jack, blah, blah, you know, if I did, I wouldn't have put my ideas on . Instead, I would be checking my email for angry fan mail about the pairings. 3.

Dedication: For QueenAlla, my wonderfultastical first (and sole) reviewer.

Enjoy!

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I woke up again, taking a moment to glance at the clock. There was a post-it on it. Plucking it off I read:

_Went to work with Rude_

_Be back around 9_

_Food in the fridge_

_-Reno _

I rose my eyebrows. A day alone in this god-forsaken place. I slid out of bed, and wandered downstairs.

"Holy shit!" I yelled out of surprise. Some chick was on the couch with a blanket covering her. She turned in her sleep, apparently drugged. I gave her sleeping form a genuine 'wtf' look, and proceeded to the fridge.

"Yum.. Sandwich.." I muttered, taking it out and biting into it. I savored the taste. When was the last time I had food? I decided to give myself the grand tour or the apartment. I went back up the stairs, peering into every room along the way. I stole another one of the white shirts (is that all they wore in this place?) and another pair of the black pants. I slipped them on, and shook my mess of hair. Raiding from what it looked like Reno's room (I doubted Rude would have a brush, seeing as how he's bald, then again, Reno's hair looked like it hadn't been brushed in weeks), and stole a brush.

"Ahhhh," I said to myself, closing my eyes to enjoy the feel of the comb in my hair. I glanced at the time. I still had a while before they got home. I gathered my wits, and poked my head out the door. I sniffed. Sex, sweat, alcohol. Why am I not surprised, I asked myself. I went back inside, making a mental note to ask Reno or Rude about when I could get back home. Maybe they knew something?

For the remaining hours alone, I spent my time in the attic and Reno's room cleaning. There wasn't much I could do as far as the décor, but the clothes on the floor and dust everywhere I could fix. I set to work humming a couple of random notes combined to make a little song all the while.

_~;3 hours later;~_

I looked up from my work and wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. Just as I had finished I heard the door open and close and heavy footsteps. I put on a relatively happy face and went downstairs to greet the two Turks.

"Evening Reno," I said, half smiling. "Rude," I said, nodding at him. We weren't exactly on speaking terms, I think the only contact we had was when he found me.

"Hey," Reno said back. Rude nodded back at me. How the hell did he communicate? Telepathy? Was he totally like Spak?

"What've you been up to all day?" Reno asked. I smiled.

"Go look in your alls rooms. I think it looks a lot better, myself," I said. They glanced at each other and pushed past me, running up the stairs. I turned around and cocked my head. "What's wrong? Does it look that bad?" I called, biting my lip, and wondering what I had done wrong. I mean, if someone came in and cleaned my room, I'd be grateful. I think.

They came back down looking relived. I threw them both questioning looks.

"Huh?" I asked. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Reno said. "We were just worried…" He trailed off. I decided to take the safe route and not ask.

"Anyways," I started. "While you guys are away at work.. What am I supposed to do? I can't stay here forever, you know," I finished, crossing my arms.

Reno contemplated this for a moment. "Well, we can't bring you to work with us.. So… " He didn't finish, instead he pulled out a phone and dialed a number.

"Yo, Tifa? Yeah. Rude and I found this chick laying around the trash piles, Rude tripped over her", he said, smirking. "Do ya think while him and I are at work, she could stay with y'all? Really? Thanks Tifa. Later," he said, closing the phone. "Well! Looks like you'll be with Tifa."

"Who's Tifa," I asked, tilting my head to the side.

He looked at me dryly. "Chick I met at the bar, she was great," he added, winking. I rolled my eyes and uncrossed my arms. Joy, I thought to myself.

"By the way," I said, turning back from the stairs. "There was some girl on your couch this morning, I kicked her out and told her never to come back, I hope that was alright," I said sweetly, smiling genuinely. Reno paled. I turned around and smirked. "Night guys!" I said, grinning, and trudged up to the attic. This will be fun, I thought to myself, and then I was out.


	5. Oh crud

**A/N: She fell in love pretty damn fast, right? I guess Reno has that effect on people. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except Lily. If I did, I wouldn't really be writing 'fan'fiction, now would I be? I guess.. If like, my staff didn't agree with an awesome idea, but then I wanted to convey the idea to the public still, then I'd come here and- *rambles on endlessly***

**Dedication: To my cat, in whom drank my orange juice this morning. **

**R&R~!**

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The next morning I was awoken with a look that could maim. I slowly opened one eye and peered at Reno.

"_LILY!_ Wake up, damnit!" I rose an eyebrow at him and was ready to turn over when someone else appeared in the doorway. I looked past Reno and saw a blonde (a very cute one, too) with spiky hair and an emo expression on his face. I averted my eyes from the blonde and looked back at Reno.

"Who is that?" I whispered, hoping the blonde wouldn't hear me.

"Your escort," he said aloud. I eyed Reno for a second, wishing I could punch his smug expression. I breathed deeply. I wasn't about to let him have the pleasure.

"Alright," I said. "He's taking me to Tifa's?" I asked, glancing at him.

"Yes," the blonde said. "I'm Cloud," he added. I gave him the signature Lily look when she saw hotness. I motioned for Reno to move, and swung my legs off the sofa. Brushing myself off, I gave him a quick smile.

"Thanks for letting me stay here the past few days, Reno," I said, meaning it. As annoying as he was, I did owe him. I glanced at Cloud. "And thank you for taking me to Tifa's, Cloud," I said, thanking him more than Reno. Looking at Reno, I couldn't imagine his driving skills. Cloud and Reno nodded at me, and Reno, on his way out, turned back.

"I'll be home around 9 again… will you be here?" He asked. I was shocked. Was that an invitation to stay?

"Is that an invitation to stay?" I asked, hiding a smile. He covered his own.

"Well, you came in handy yesterday with the cleaning, so… I guess… maybe…" he trailed off. "If you liked your sofa more than Tifa's, that is," he said, grinning.

I grinned back at him. "I've grown used to it… I'll be here," I said, hoping to god this wasn't some trick for saying I kicked his girlfriend out yesterday. He actually smiled back. "Oh!" I said, face palming. I ran downstairs, putting my hand between the door and the frame before Reno closed it. "Clothes! Can I raid your closet again?" I asked Reno, out of breath.

"Yeah, sure yo," he said, puzzled as if wondering why I had even asked.

"Kay, just making sure. Thanks again!" I called over my shoulder, running back up to his room. I tugged on a white shirt and black pants, trying to fit into them as well as possible. I pulled my hair back again in a ponytail like Reno's, and searched for a black jacket. I found one and put it on, looking in the mirror. I turned around, giggling at the memory of my best friend and I cospla-Hold on, I thought to myself. Cosplay.. And I was cosplaying.. My eyes dilated. I put my hand to my head, and the room started to spin. It hit me- like another bomb.

_I was Reno, and she was Rude. _

Then... Cloud… And… Tifa... Sephiroth… Loz…Yazoo… Kadaj…

_I was in Midgar._

Lifesteam… Zack… Rufus…Shinra… Materia…

_I was about to start living my own role in Advent Children. _

Aeris…Vincent…Yuffie…Cid…Barrett…Chaos…Balhumut SIN…

_And I was falling in love with a red headed jackass. _


	6. Tifa's

**A/N: Tifa's! **

**Disclaimer: I only own Lily, don't sue me… **

**Dedication: *looks around quickly for one* The stack of Cds next to me. **

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I stood up, as quietly as I could. It's got to be a mistake, I told myself over and over while searching for Cloud. I found him by the door, finally. He tilted his head questioningly at how pale I was, but turned around anyway, and opened the door. I followed him outside and grimaced, knowing the sight that would be in front of me. I opened my shut eyes and gazed at the motorcycle. Oh, great, I thought to myself.

I looked at Cloud and gave him one of those 'oh-crap-you-are-not-going-to-make-me-do-this' smiles. He nodded, and got on. I threw my hands up and got on behind him, tempted to put my arms around him. Somewhere along the ride, I must have, because when we got to Tifa's she gave me a look that could kill. I could tell this would be interesting.

"Hello Miss Tifa," I said, trying to be as innocent as possible. She waved at me and smiled.

"Hey there.. You're the girl that Reno and Rude found, right?" she asked. The girl has a name, I wanted to shout.

"Yeah. Call me Lily," I said, adding another smile at the end to make it seem genuine. She seemed friendly enough. Recalling Advent Children, I knew what my limits were. I just hoped to god she wasn't seeing Reno. Too much fanfiction, I supposed.

"Okay Lily! C'mon then, I'll give you the grand tour," Tifa said, starting to walk away.

I followed quickly, and caught up with her in a moment. I peered at 7th Heaven. Just as I remembered it. We went inside, and she introduced me to Marlene and Denzel. I smiled at them, and returned the hug Marlene gave me. I shook Denzel's hand, giving him a silly look. How many 9 year olds shook hands, honestly?

We went through the entire house, and then she turned to me once we got to Aeris's church.

"So… what did Reno want you to do over here? I mean, there isn't much over at his place you can't do over here," she said, furrowing her eyebrows.

"I'm not sure exactly," I replied, really not having an answer. I thought back to my prior knowledge of Tifa. "Hey Tifa, this is a really big favor of me to ask you, and I mean, I just met you and all, but since I'm over here without anything really to do… could you teach me to fight?" I asked, giving her an awkward half-smile. She didn't look surprised.

"Sure, Lily. If you can come over here when Reno's at work all the time, that'd be fun," she said. She gave a small giggle. "Well, fun for me, I'm not sure about how much you'll enjoy it." I giggled too.

"I'll try to make your work as easy as possible," I said, meaning it.

_3 ½ hours later_

"Whew!" Tifa said, exhaling. She was barely out of breath, while I was panting. "You ok, Lily?" She asked, looking over at me, smiling.

"Yeah," I said a bit uneasily. I was sore all over, and I think the only thing I accomplished was falling down several times, and having Tifa beat me to a pulp. I wondered what kind of questions I would get from Reno and Rude.

_Reno_

Oh, crap! I forgot all about him! What am I going to do if he asks!? Shit, I thought to myself. I guess I could just tell him that I was learning from Tifa how to fight, but if I did that, he would ask why, and I wouldn't have a reason, and then I might have to explain why and how I knew what was going on! This totally isn't good.

"Oh! Were you going to stay here? Or did you need a ride back to Reno's?" She asked, smiling. She certainly smiles a lot, I thought.

"Umm… I think I'd rather go back to Reno's," I said, hoping that she couldn't see my blush in the dim light.

She did. "Aw, are you blushing?" She asked me, grinning. "I won't tell anyone," she said, still grinning.

It made me blush harder. "Well…" I started. I was cut off by someone walking in the door. I glanced up and sucked in my breath. I made eye contact with him with burning intensity.

"Loz…" I murmured to myself, ready to run. Tifa put her gloves on and motioned for me to get behind her. I grimaced and did as she said. Cursing to myself, I crouched, ready to run if I had to.

"Would you like to play?" Loz asked, reaching out his hand. Tifa charged at him, and meeting with his arm with her own. She dealt several blows to him, while he blocked them perfectly. Tifa kicked him, as a device on his arm flew out and electrically charged her, making her fly back. She wiped her chin and launched herself at him again, doing a sweeping kick that he jumped to avoid. While he regained his balance, she charged, knocking him into a wall kicking him all the while. They locked arms again, and he knocked her back with the device on his arm. She dodged another one of his blows, and she thrust him into the ground jumping off of his face in impact. While she flew away he grabbed her ankle and used her as a wreaking ball, destroying all the nearby pews. He slung her into the air and she landed on the wall. She locked eyes with him, and she launched herself off of it, flying into Loz. She used him as if he was a mop, wiping him along the ground and thrusting him up into the air. As he hung there, apparently shocked, she jumped up and threw him into a pew. She landed smoothly back on the ground, and motioned for me to come. Out of the broken pile of pews, it seemed, the Final Fantasy ring tone started playing. Loz got up, and answered it.

"She's not here," he said into the phone. "I'm not crying!" He said, a little too defensively, sniffing. "No I got it," he said, shutting the phone. He approached me. I took a step back, realizing I was between him and the wall. I froze. Tifa ran towards Loz and I, only to be shocked again. The freaking hand thing was really pissing me off, I decided, and slugged him in the face. He stumbled back for a moment, while I ducked and went around him. I did the only thing I could do at the moment. I ran for the door. He got in front of me, somehow, and I turned. Frick, I thought. There wasn't any escaping. I glanced at Tifa. Wait.. Where was she? I spun around, not seeing her. I looked at Loz as he pulled the device on his arm back and it sunk into my collarbone. "Hai-yah!" Tifa yelled, as she fell onto his head, knocking him out, just before I fell, unconscious.


	7. Flashback 'i'm unconscious too much'

**A/N: Alrighty~ Time for a new chapter. Flashybacks! **

**Dedication: The CBG. 3 **

**Disclaimer: I don't even know why I bother putting this here anymore. I own Lily. Nothing more. *deep breath* **

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_Your so silly!" I yelled, bent over laughing._

_She joined in the laughing and we sat down on a bench, regaining our composure. I laid back, crossing my feet. We sobered up soon enough. I shoved her softly._

"_Amy, let's make a promise."_

"_Ok, what kind of promise?"_

"_If one of us is ever in trouble, or if we don't have anyone else to talk to about something, we'll be there for each other."_

"_But how will we know that all that is happening?"_

"_Hmm.. How about…we shout?" Lily said, in all of her 5 year old glory. _

"_But what if we aren't near each other?"_

"_Well.. No matter where we are, the sky's always there, right?"_

"_Right…"_

"_If we call out into the sky, maybe the stars will tell us that we called! _

"_Okay!" She smiled. _


	8. Peace

**A/N: Romance! I apologize for my lack of updates. I haven't been on much lately, schools been eating my brain. Oi, also, romance and I don't mix. Ask Valor. *giggles* Break dancing…sink holes… **

**Dedication: 'Yo'. **

**Disclaimer: I only own Lily, I dun own anything else. **

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I awoke to yelling. Seriously, don't people have any sense of self-preservation? I swear, I'ma freaking get up and kick their… I opened an eye to see Reno, eyes ablaze, making weird hand motions at Tifa who had her arms crossed and was saying that it wasn't her fault, and that maybe it wouldn't have happened if Reno was there.

"You should have kept a better eye on her!"

"How was I supposed to, Reno? I was barely con-"

"That's your own fault! Maybe you'd be a better fighter if you weren't in this damn bar all day!"

"What do you care? Your just another one of my regulars! You come in here and spend your entire paycheck on booze, and then you bring a girl or two home with you to get laid! Why should I think Lily is any different!?"

"That's not true! Lily isn't like that!"

I groaned and got up, coming between them.

"How about the both of you shut up!? Reno, Tifa can't be blamed! If you were in her situation, you wouldn't have been any different! It's my own fault, alright? I shouldn't have thought that trying to slug him would have made any difference! And Tifa, it's true, he IS one of your regulars, but using that against him is wrong. There's got to be a reason, although it's probably stupid and irrational, because that's basically how he acts, irrationally! Now if y'all don't mind, I would love to get back to my freaking pink sofa in Reno's freaking attic because in this god forsaken place, it has got to be the only comfort I've had in a hellofa long time. Is that alright with you two?" I gazed into Tifa's brown eyes and then into Reno's blue ones to see if there were any objections, pausing slightly in Reno's to give them the 'you are so getting it when we get home' look.

_Home_

_Had I began to call that place home? _

I walked away from them both, and out of the bar. I found Rude leaning up against a car, and I looked up at him.

"Reno's inside, probably arguing with Tifa again," I said.

"I know," he said.

"Can't we leave without him?"

"No."

"Fine."

And from there we both leaned against the car with our arms crossed, waiting silently for Reno to get over his hissy fit. A couple moments later he stormed out and got into the drivers side of the car. I got in the backseat, not wanting to know what would happen if I sat in the front where Rude was supposed to sit. I shivered at the thought.

The ride 'home' was silent. Not an awkward silence, just… there wasn't anything to say. As soon as we arrived I walked in and marched up the stairs to my pink sofa where I sat and let my face fall into my hands. It wasn't soon before I had started to sob silently. Because karma hates me so god damned much, Reno walked in on me. I looked up with red eyes as a tear rolled down my cheek. The look he gave me was heart wrenching. No, seriously.

"I'm sorry," he stated, standing awkwardly in the doorway, havening had taken off his jacket, and was just wearing his white shirt with his standard black pants. I looked up at him pitifully, thinking I couldn't have sunk any lower.

"Why am I different?" I asked him, my eyes once again baring into his. He didn't seem surprised that I had asked this question. He contemplated the question, staring at me, but not staring at me. He was concentrating on something else. Instead of answering, he moved to sit beside me. He pulled my head down into his lap, and I stared back up at him, blinking away the last of my tears. He made half circles under my eyes with the back of his knuckle. I wondered what he was doing; I hadn't thought he was capable of showing any affection, let alone feeling it. Involuntarily, my own hand reached up and brushed the tattoo on one side of his face. I was at peace.

_Peace._

My other hand (voluntarily) brought itself around his neck, and I pulled myself up, burying my head in his shoulder. I was convinced this was one of the few times, if not the only time I had been truly comfortable in Midgar. It was so strange; my 15 year old fantasies coming true. He wrapped his arms around me as tightly as he could without hurting me. I turned my head so my lips were pressed to the side of his neck.

"Reno?" I asked, my voice muffled, tickling against his skin. I took a breath.

"Yeah?"

"You never answered me. Why am I different?"

There was a short pause.

"Because…"

"Because?"

"Because I think I'm falling for you."

He paused only a moment.

"Why did you want to stay here instead of with Tifa?"

"Because I think I already did."

Another short pause. He stroked my back, and I could have sworn I felt wetness on my shoulder.

"Reno?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't leave."

"I won't."

We had sat there all night long, falling asleep in each others arms. My dreams weren't in the same black abysmal state they had been. They had lost their melancholy tune. The spot that was coming noticeably uncomfortable was slowly but surely being filled.


End file.
